In 2017, former World No. 1 Andre Agassi became the coach of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic after Djokovic split with longtime coach Marian Vajda. However, their professional relationship lasted only a year, ending in April 2018. Agassi’s stint as coach came during a challenging period for Djokovic, who was struggling with an elbow injury that kept him out of action for the second half of the 2017 season.
Agassi and Djokovic’s Disagreements
Even after Djokovic underwent surgery for his elbow injury, there were several things that he and Agassi did not agree on. In an interview with The Guardian during the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, Agassi discussed their split and mentioned that Djokovic needed ownership of his own process. The two had differing views on nutrition, with Agassi believing in strength training and eating a healthy range of proteins while Djokovic had his own way of maintaining his diet.
Agreeing to Disagree Too Frequently
Agassi further elaborated that he and Djokovic agreed to disagree too often, resulting in him feeling that he was not truly helping the tennis star. As Agassi stated, “You get to a point where if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. We agreed to disagree far too often for me to feel like I was helping him, and I cared too much about him to just watch him go through something I felt I could help him with.”
Djokovic’s Performance Under Agassi’s Coaching
During their time together, Djokovic won only one title under Agassi’s coaching, which came at the 2017 Eastbourne International. Djokovic managed to win the tournament without dropping a single set. After splitting with Agassi, Djokovic reunited with Marian Vajda and fared significantly better during the remainder of the 2018 season. He won both Wimbledon and the US Open, along with the Cincinnati Masters and the Shanghai Masters. Djokovic finished 2018 with 53 wins out of 66 matches and returned to the top of the ATP rankings.
